Of Blood and Thunder
by atomicpudding
Summary: The process through which Thor and Loki's brotherly relationship was built and slowly shattered is one that could only exist in Asgard. Their history is humorous, tragic, harrowing and at times inexplicable. The beginning is based off of the first scene in The Prince of Egypt, the rest is mine. M for later chapters, no slash, and I don't own these characters. Enjoy, darlings.
1. Chapter 1

There was a rumbling in the east walls of Asgard. The sun glinted off the high mirrored walls as golden statues stood in silent repose. The rumbling grew louder and the clear rays of sunlight started to jump sporadically off the polished surface sending highly focused beams of light in every direction. Soon two chariots burst out over a stone overhang and landed in the walkway below. They slowed momentarily before they sped off, the sound of hooves clattering into the distance. One horse was draped in red, a piece of decorative cloth covering its back. It was pulling a chariot that was been decorated in the same color. The spokes of the wheels flashed sterling as they whirred about. The other wore a headpiece adorned with a pair of horns. An emerald and gold rope hung from its neck, swinging wildly as the beast was urged on at a frantic pace. Much like the red chariot, it was also decorated according to the colors worn by the horse. However, instead of silver spokes it sported dark woods with golden inlay. The young man driving the red chariot looked over at his opponent. They locked eyes momentarily before he tugged on the reigns making the chariot jerk to the left suddenly. The red chariot slammed into the green one sending it careening into a wall. The metal hub of the wheel sparked as it grinded against the hard stone. The young driver peered over the side momentarily, his black hair flapping wildly in the wind. A firm look of concentration came over his face as he violently jerked the reigns. His eyes widened as he swerved dangerously back into the race. The chariot had been successfully pulled away from the wall and they were once again thundering down the wide promenade.

"What's the matter brother?! Can't keep a straight line?!" Thor taunted over the din of the race. Loki glanced over for a second before turning sharply and running Thor off the side of the walkway. Thor's chariot rattled down the stony embankment until he pulled back sharply on the reigns and came to a stop. Dust swirled around him as he looked around for a moment. He narrowed his eyes, peering through the thin brown clouds. He knew Loki was up to something.

"Loki?" His voice sounded guarded. He heard hooves somewhere off to the side. He turned and looked towards the highest part of the walkway. It formed a ten-foot drop between the top of the path and the ground below. Thor barely had time to react before the dark green chariot was sailing overhead. He briefly shielded his head with his arm and looked up a few seconds later to see Loki hitting the ground and galloping off in another direction. He smirked and whipped his horses into action. He soon caught up to Loki just before they entered a section of Asgard meant for the servants and citizens of the realm. Two old men sat in the center of the stone path playing a board game, but had to throw themselves out of the way as Loki's chariot charged through their game, exploding it into tiny wooden shards. Thor was right behind him, but was forced to take a different route when Loki turned sharply onto a narrow street. He thought he had succeeded in loosing Thor but soon looked up on top of the wall he was riding next to, to see Thor looking down at him with a triumphant smile on his face. He whipped his horses a few times to try to get a lead. He could hear Thor laughing from atop the wall.

"Oh come on brother, you know you've always looked up to me!" He was obviously taking this opportunity to try to bring out every last inch of competitiveness in Loki. Loki glanced up at Thor realizing what an unattractive angle he was currently seeing him in. Thor's tunic flapped wildly, creating an extremely unflattering angle to his backside. He grinned and snapped back at him. "Yes but its never been much of a view!" A few seconds later Thor's chariot crashed down in front of him and the race was now back on level ground, but not for long.

Down below, Fendral, Hogun and Volstagg were walking calmly on one of the main walkways leading into the palace. Behind them was a huge embankment of sand, and behind that stood a colossal stone statue of Odin. He had commissioned that statues be carved of the royal family, and his was the first to be completed. Far above the sandy mound two black dots raced up the scaffolding towards the grimacing head of their father.

Thor was still in the lead. He took the corner sharply and continued to gallop across the wooden planks. Loki had started to feel the sting of loss and in a desperate move, took the corner too quickly and skidded towards the edge. The side of his chariot broke through the side of the scaffolding leaving nothing between him and a one hundred foot drop. His eyes widened as he felt himself start to tip over the edge, but his horses corrected themselves seconds later and bucked forward in a sudden lurching motion. The chariot knocked into a painter who had been adding detail to Odin's clothing. The man yelled as the piece of wood he had been sitting on gave away. The piece of rope he had been using as a safety line caught him as he swung in a large arc over Odin's face, leaving the shape of a dark blue smile directly above Odin's otherwise downturned mouth. The same beam the man had been sitting on had been supporting a large amount of stone bricks that were now crashing towards the statue. They toppled into the head of Gungnir and cracked the giant stone spike off its shaft. Soon it was crashing down through the layers of scaffolding, which broke like twigs under its weight. With each new level of scaffolding that disappeared, the two brothers where put in increasing danger of being crushed. Thor got to the bottom first and out of dangers way, however Loki was now in direct line with the giant piece of stone. He looked up to see it break through the last layer of wood above his head.

"Jump!" He yelled at his horses as they leapt off the side of the scaffolding. He landed next to Thor and they both skidded to a stop inches away from the edge of the mound of sand. The head of Gungnir sent a shockwave through the mound as it landed behind them. They where both quiet for a few moments as they caught their breath looked ahead. Soon Loki looked over at Thor. He was a mess, his clothes where caked in dust and his hair was stuck to his face. He started chuckling, and Thor did the same. They both looked equally as bad. Their amusement was cut short by a sinking feeling beneath the wheels of their chariots. They looked down in time to see the sand beneath them receding quickly. They only had time to look back at each other before the planks holding the sand in place gave away sending them down a tidal wave of dirt.

Meanwhile Fendral had stopped walking and tilted his head to the side. He thought he had heard rumbling behind them but wasn't entirely sure. He looked behind the other two warriors in time to see a wall of sand approaching them at an alarming speed. He tapped Hogun on the shoulder, causing the stony faced man to turn around. Volstagg barely had time to react when he saw the two men sprinting by him.

The sand died down, dropping Thor and Loki off midway down the walkway unharmed. Loki was laughing now, and Thor couldn't help but join in. They were now riding side by side towards the main hall of Asgard not bothering to look back at the wave of destruction they had caused.

"You don't think father will notice, do you?" Thor asked between spurts of laughter.

"Not a chance." Loki answered, the grin on his face growing wider.


	2. Chapter 2

Odin stood before them, his face matching the stony intensity of the statue that was being wiped clean of its grin. Thor and Loki stood quietly waiting for the inevitable. He finally looked up at the two young gods, eyeing them both carefully.

"Do you realize how much of a mess you have made?" It was phrased more as statement and less as a question. The two brothers were silent.

"Father-" Thor started in.

"Silence. You have scared the good citizens of Asgard, caused great disorder at the front gates of the palace and set the stone masons back months. What do you have to say for yourselves?" Loki had been staring idly out the large open window during this short reprimand. He had been watching the masons furiously scrubbing at the foolish grin that was still painted over the statue's face and began to snicker. He was soon cut short by a blow to the side of the head. He was about to make some kind of retort but when he saw the look on Odin's face he thought better.

"You think this is all a game don't you." Odin thrust a finger between Loki and Thor's head pointing at the main entrance at the back of the great hall.

"The main entrance to the palace is blocked off by an enormous mound of dirt, this means that the path to the Bifrost is blocked as well. In addition, the head of Gungnir has been destroyed in the fall. The amount of time needed to replace it is unknown. I have a council with the Vanir in two days time, what kind of message will this send when they arrive? How can I oversee the nine realms if I can't even oversee the behavior of my own sons?" He turned away and walked slowly back towards the large gold throne at the head of the room.

"Father, it was my idea. I challenged Loki to a race. It wasn't meant to be anything like this."

"It doesn't matter whose idea it was, Thor." The All Father sounded tired. Both brothers stood quietly watching the old man closely. A door opened to the side and a servant entered.

"Sire, we have begun work on the front gates." Odin waved the man away without a sound. Finally he waved his hand over his shoulder.

"Leave me, both of you."


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night Thor sat against a stone support column. He had been brooding since the earlier occurrences, and now found himself alone, or so he thought. The cavernous breezeway was cool with the night air and the torches flickered softly with every puff of wind. As if with the fluttering of the breeze, a lithe figure stepped out from behind one of the columns and walked quietly towards Thor's hunched figure.

"Brother…" Loki's voice was soft, yet Thor still startled at the sound. He breathed out audibly and turned away from him again.

"What are you doing here?" His voice sounded blunt and annoyed.

"I came to talk to you." He said sitting down next to Thor.

"What is there to talk about? Father is angry, and I don't think he'll stop any time in the near future." His back was still turned.

"You are always so worried about what he thinks, he'll overcome his anger in time." Thor was quiet as he stared down at the stone he was sitting on, until suddenly a wave of annoyance came over him.

"That is just the problem, Loki." He said finally turning to face him. "I worry because I care, unlike you. You prance through this place like you own it. You've gotten me in trouble more than once. And do you know why I've chosen to overlook it? Because you are my younger brother and I know it is like you to cause trouble from time to time, so I take responsibility and take your blows for you. But there will come a time when I will not be able to do that any more, and honestly, I think that time has come. You're not a boy anymore." Loki sat quietly, knowing that it would be unwise to say anything too soon after what he had just heard. After a few minutes time he spoke again.

"But it was your idea to race earlier."

"I know that, but it wasn't my idea to go off the track and to run wild through the streets of Asgard. I failed to mention that earlier incase you didn't notice."

"Yet you went along with it. Why?" Thor's brow furrowed as he stared Loki in the eyes.

"Because- because I thought it would be fun." He was becoming visibly frustrated.

"And was it?" Thor could start to see what Loki was doing and redoubled his anger.

"Yes but it is no excuse. It is still wrong. Don't try to charm me brother, it won't work. This isn't the first time father has been this angry." Loki raised his eyebrows taking on a somewhat innocent appearance.

"When was the other time?" Thor sighed in annoyance.

"You switched the nine realms around on father's map when you were younger. He thought it was a sign that Ragnorok was upon Asgard and had the entire army stand outside the palace for a fortnight." Loki's expression melted into one of pure amusement as he began to laugh. This continued for a little while until he finally looked back at Thor.

"What, you don't think that's amusing?" He said wiping tears out of his eyes. "Think about it." His sentence erupted into another fit of laughter. Thor watched with tired resignation, his annoyance was quickly receding. Loki always managed to do this. He would find Thor at his moodiest and poke fun at it until he either became enraged or started to laugh along with him. More often than not Thor found his younger brother to be too amusing to be angry at. Soon Thor started laughing too. They sat for a while like this, their laughter echoing off the lofty walls. Thor placed a hand on the back of Loki's neck.

"You always manage to make me laugh, brother. It's a talent." Loki gave him a lopsided grin and hopped off the raised platform they had been sitting on.

"Walk with me." Thor quietly obliged and slid off the platform as well. Soon the two brothers were walking slowly on a large balcony that overlooks the main entrance to the palace. The view offered a stunning look at the Bifrost and the outer city of Asgard. The lights glimmered and danced in the dewy night air. Loki casually leaned against the low stone wall.

"Feel better?" Thor was looking out at the stunning sight that lay before him. He nodded silently. Loki turned to get a better view as well.

"Have you ever looked at this? I mean, looked at what we have and thought about how it got here."

"Thor don't start, I don't want to have some long winded conversation with you about being a 'humble prince.'" Thor looked over at him with a guarded expression. Loki softened his voice slightly.

"I know what we have. I see it every day and I always find something new to be amazed at." They stood in silence again for some time until they heard voices down below. They both peered over the edge to find Volstagg, Hogun and Fendral standing at the base of the sand pile. The amount of sand had gone down slightly but the mound was still a presence at the front gate.

"And then I saw you two running past me, and I didn't know what to think. Well I soon figured it out!" Volstagg was becoming increasingly animated as he spoke. "It was unlike anything I'd experienced before, I couldn't see or hear anything. I'm lucky I was able to get a small lead!" Fendral spoke up next.

"We would have warned you old friend, but there wasn't much time. Hogun thought we were under attack, and honestly I thought the same." The three men laughed and drank from their tall glasses.

"It's a wonder he was able to move his gut fast enough to escape." Loki said, sarcasm playing in his voice. Thor was trying not to smile, but the edges of his mouth where giving him away. Loki spoke again.

"Perhaps if someone dangled a bit of roast meat in front of his face he would have run faster." Thor snickered. Loki gave Thor a sly smile and leaned over the edge of the wall looking down at the trio.

"Volstagg!" The plump man looked around before looking up.

"Who's up there?! Loki? I hope you apologized for this!" He said motioning at the pile in front of the door. "You made an unspeakable mess!"

"Oh yes I apologized, even though it was all Thor's fault!" Thor punched him in the ribs and two started laughing, disappearing back over the wall. Volstagg could hear the two exchange a few muffled words before they appeared again.

"Volstagg!" Loki called again, the mischievous tone in his voice becoming more apparent. "What was that creature you came across that you hated so much?" Volstagg looked at his other two companions before answering.

"It was the amber serpent! I found one in the arena, you didn't see more did you?"

"No, except for the one on your arm." Volstagg looked down in shock as a very lifelike serpent wrapped itself around his arm. In one frantic motion he threw his drink to the ground and whipped his arm around trying to shake the unwanted visitor. After a few more thrashes the serpent suddenly disappeared making in clear what had happened. Volstagg looked up, red faced and bellowed at Loki.

"I've had enough of your tricks! You'll be lucky if I don't tell the All Father! Do you hear me?!" Loki had disappeared back over the wall and was doubled over with laughter. Thor wiped tears from his eyes and clapped him on the back.

"Excellent trick brother, I've never seen him react so quickly." The laughter eventually died down and it was quiet again. Loki was looking out towards the Bifrost again, a pleased half smile on his face. The two stood quietly for an unknown amount of time. Thor glanced over at Loki a few times but said nothing. He was always confused yet slightly comforted by Loki's ability to cause trouble while remaining in control of himself. He always seemed so at ease afterwards. Thor could only liken it to the feeling of accomplishment he felt after training or learning a new battle maneuver. Loki was "ruled by the mind rather than the sword" as their mother always said. Even at a young age he was already creating his own spells and mastering ones that mages years ahead of him could not master. It was promising and at times alarming, yet Thor was always impressed with his younger brother's skill.

"It's late brother, we should be off to bed." Thor finally said drowsily. Loki looked over and nodded in agreement.

"By the way." Said Thor, "What did you do with that serpent?" Loki smiled momentarily before he spoke.

"It was just an illusion, nothing more." The two turned to walk back towards the palace, as a very life-like serpent manifested itself on Thor's back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Just so there's no confusion or misinterpretation, I'm using Draugr in this chapter. Yes, for those of us who are Skyrim fans we all know who these nasty buggers are, but they are actually part of Norse mythology as well. And they are just as nasty if not more. Carry on.

The following week brought rain, the heavy slow kind of rain that didn't stop all day. It wasn't oppressive, yet it wasn't relaxing either. Many in the court stayed inside and there was a general feeling of fatigue that permeated the palace grounds. In the week before, Odin had successfully held court with the Vanir, and the spill on the bridge had been cleared away. In the time afterwards nothing truly exiting had happened, and it was probably for the better considering Odin's anger over the spill. The only problem was that the lack of excitement had also caused boredom to creep in. Loki sat in his bedchambers playing with different spells to pass the time. Thor hadn't been at breakfast earlier that day so he had been left to his own devices. Usually this was a dangerous occurrence, when Loki was bored things could be expected to go wrong around the palace. Usually they were benign, but nonetheless someone's shoes would go missing or the tapestries would randomly trip the other Asgardians as they passed.

However, today much like everyone else, he was experiencing a certain amount of ennui. He had grown tired of his spells and had begun to walk slowly around the large room. The dark woods and emerald furnishings always seemed to draw the light towards them and hold it there. There was a sort of cold glow about everything in the room. Sometimes Loki grew tired of it and wished for something brighter. He would stand in front of a chair and pass his hand slowly over the fabric looking at all the different colour combinations he could think of, yet he always came back to emerald. He hadn't experimented with changing colours in a long time, much like he hadn't experimented with a lot of things in a long while. His thirst for knowledge concerning new spells had grown to the point of insomnia. He was always looking for new ways to challenge himself, to stand out, to be better than he was. He had already surpassed the small number of students in his class, and the private lessons with his instructor had dwindled to practically nothing. Almost every flat surface in his room was littered with texts. Runes and strange drawings where scrawled on pieces of paper and used as place markers. He had recently been working on cloaking spells, which would allow him to go about places undetected. He had mastered the basics, and had become quite adept at staying hidden after teleporting to new areas in and outside the palace. However, there was only one obstacle still standing in his path, Heimdall. The all-seeing gatekeeper's powers of sight and detection were unmatched, and Loki knew that if he attempted realm travel at his current stage he would surely be seen. It frustrated him, yet pushed him to look harder, learn faster, learn more, and practice more.

Moreover, the conflict between Asgard and Muspelheim was flaring up again and he thought that surely his newly mastered skill would be helpful in battle. Perhaps it would garner some attention, and start to prove that magic is a viable skill in battle. Loki knew that it was; yet it was still overlooked by the majority of the Aesir. Every god in Asgard knew magic to some degree but it wasn't their primary skill. Usually it was a basic knowledge of healing spells or something to make their weapon of choice more effective. And that was the focus anyway, weaponry. The questions were always the same, how good are you with a sword? An axe? A mace? A spear? A… hammer.

Loki stopped walking and stared ahead, his gaze unwavering. A hammer… his brother's beloved Mjolnir. A glorious weapon made for a glorious warrior. Visions of Thor flashed through his mind, his brother covered in blood and gore, swinging the unfathomably heavy weapon furiously in the midst of battle, his brother lifting it aloft as the supercharged air built around them right before the surrounding area would explode in an electrical fire storm, his brother being welcomed back as a hero…

Thunder echoed outside the tall window behind him, and Loki breathed out slowly through his nose.

_He's probably out "practicing"… _Loki thought with a touch of venom. He shut his eyes, breathing out slowly again. There was a few moments of deafening silence before the doors to his room burst open, a large blond figure walking boisterously into the quiet atmosphere. He spread his arms, palms facing towards the ceiling and smiled.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Thor asked chuckling slightly.

"What do you mean?" Loki's voice was even, perfectly masking the underlying poison he had been feeling.

"I mean standing in this dark room, surrounded by symbols and books." Thor said picking up a heavy leather bound book and dropping it audibly back onto its stack. "You need to get out, and I think I've got just the thing." The corners of Loki's mouth curved into a mocking half smile.

"And what of father's anger? You're not planning another romp through the city are you?"

"Father has forgiven. Besides, if we're not in the city what is there to destroy?" Loki furrowed his brow and looked at Thor with a disdainful inquisitiveness.

"Quite a lot actually." Thor looked visibly deflated, realizing how much his logic had failed.

"Really, Thor, you can't stampede through the nine realms and expect to not be seen. And… depending on what you're planning to do father's anger might redouble itself." Thor crossed his arms and widened his stance, waiting for Loki's chiding to continue.

"When all is said and done, Heimdall will be watching, brother. There's no way around it." Thor looked ready to speak again but Loki cut him off. "And if you've burst into my room to try to cajole me into helping you, you should know better than that by now. Then again you should also know how to knock, but that's also a skill you have yet to master."

Thor looked at the floor, shifting his weight back and forth a few times before looking back up again. "Loki…" He spoke evenly, "I apologize for coming in unannounced but will you hear me out, please." When Loki stood silently he continued. "There is something I need- uh-would like your help with. I know you're the only one I could come to about this since you have an extensive knowledge of magic." Loki's interest seemed to piqued. Thor continued, "There is a problem in Niflheim. I over heard it while father was holding court with the Vanir. The Draugr have been more active than usual and have even killed a number of the Vanir on their travels there."

"And you need my help how?" Thor bit his bottom lip obviously trying to pick his words carefully.

"I need it because… from what I've heard these Draugr aren't as susceptible to weaponry as our other enemies. They themselves can do magic, strange dark magic that most are not familiar with, and I thought…" Thor looked around Loki's room, "You might have something in here that would have something about them."

"That's awfully bold of you to assume, brother." Thor shifted his weight again not taking his eyes off Loki.

"I don't think you know exactly what you're asking. Contrary to popular belief in Asgard, not all magicians have books on dark magic, or the creatures that dwell within. However…" A conniving grin spread across Loki's face. "I think I might have something." Thor looked altogether relieved and excited. He followed Loki part way across the room as Loki searched over a crowded bookshelf. Loki suddenly felt a wash of excitement as well, but not for the reasons Thor would have thought. Thor had made his plan so much easier. He would find the book he was looking for but act as if he needed more time to look over the material. Meanwhile this would buy him a few more days of practicing his cloaking spells so that he could successfully conceal himself, and when they were finally on Niflheim he would only shroud himself, thus divulging Thor and his plan. Thor would have no choice but to travel back via the Bifrost and Odin's wrath would surely fall harder than it did last time. After all, he could simply act as if he had only gone there to help Thor after he had learned what his plan was. The cloaking spell would then become a means of rescue rather than deception. It was perfect. Loki lifted the book he had been looking for off the shelf.

"I should mention that father has asked me to go there." Thor said from behind him. Loki stopped scanning the book and looked up.

"What?" He said turning to face Thor.

"Father has asked me to go. He said it would be a good chance for me to build my strengths as a single warrior." Loki closed the book slowly. He could feel jealousy and anger building in his chest again.

"A good chance for _you_? Why did you come here then? Where do I fit in? Did he even mention me?" His voice had become unintentionally sharp. Thor held his hands up in an attempt to calm his brother. Loki's stare had become cold. This always made Thor nervous so he spoke as evenly as he could to try to mask it.

"Yes he did. He told me to come to you for help on the subject."

"And that's it. Just help. No mention of going with you."

"No I was to travel alone."

"Then I have nothing more to say to you." Loki said placing the book on the table next to him, leaving Thor looking exasperated.

"Brother, please."

"No Thor, if I'm not to be included in the journey then I will choose to withhold any information on the subject."

"Loki this isn't fair, I need your help. I thought you would understand."

"You're right it isn't fair. Father wants to send you to fight alone whilst I sit here and feed you information. Obviously he still has yet to understand that magic doesn't exist purely in theory. It is an effective weapon, just as effective as any other weapon. Especially when you're fighting an enemy who's primary force is magical." Loki's voice had started to lose some of its bite and had begun to give away into sadness. Thor was quiet for a while. He watched his brother look down at the floor and twist his fingers together, a habit he had had since he was a child. Every time Loki would become sad or frustrated he would twist and untwist his fingers. Usually Thor overlooked it but for some reason it had suddenly become very noticeable.

"Loki this wasn't my decision, as I said. But since I am the one going on the mission I think it's fair that I get to choose who accompanies me. So I would like to extend the offer to you." Loki looked up, giving Thor a scrutinizing expression.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"No sudden change, simply an amendment to the rules. I thought you could appreciate that." There was a hint of Thor's usual boisterous self in his voice again. He was obviously trying to cheer Loki up. Loki had stopped moving his hands and was now donning a quietly hopeful expression.

"But there is one condition." Thor said, dropping his voice slightly, "Do you know how to get us into Niflheim without being seen? If I was to travel alone I could use the Bifrost, but since the circumstances have changed…" Thor trailed off, knowing that Loki was already finishing his train of thought. Loki was quiet for a moment before he spoke. All the sadness had left his voice and he was back to his usual smooth tone.

"Yes and no, there is a way for me to get into Niflheim undetected, however you will have to use the Bifrost. Thor looked puzzled so Loki continued.

"If you suddenly disappear father will suspect something. He expects you to use the Bifrost so that's what you must do in order for this to go smoothly. We must also return in the same fashion." Loki could feel a wave of self-assurance wash over him as he saw a way for his plan to still work. He would have to make a few changes but Thor would still have to pay for his transgression. A broad grin spread over Thor's face as he walked over and clapped Loki on the back.

"I knew you would see a way, Brother." Thor said. Loki gave him a sidelong glance that was neither scrutinizing nor kind and smiled at him. Thor started to move as if to leave but spoke before he did.

"We will leave at weeks end." Loki nodded and watched Thor strut out of room, shutting the door behind him with an echoing thud. The smile had dropped from his lips as he picked up the book he had discarded earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days had passed and Loki knew that they were to leave tomorrow. He was standing on a stone outcropping on the outskirts of the palace grounds. A waterfall plummeted a hundred or more feet below him, turning the water below into white mist. He stepped closer to the edge to get a better look. Usually he would have enjoyed a sight such as this but his conversation with Thor a few days prior had cast a shadow over his psyche. He hadn't really talked to Thor since their last conversation, only passing comments or light responses given over dinner.

Loki glanced back at the palace momentarily, before shifting his gaze downwards again. He was frustrated at Thor, perhaps a little angry. No, actually the anger was quite real. Anger always seemed to be looming somewhere in his mind. He hadn't always been like this, and he knew it. The odd part of it was that he couldn't remember when it had started to happen. He hadn't felt this way when they were younger. His anger, which was usually petty and short lived, stemmed from Thor taking one of his toys or chasing him into a river. But these mild offenses where quickly forgiven and they were soon back to fighting off invisible foes in the palace halls.

This anger… this deep-seated rage. It had crept in like a beast in the night and made itself at home in his mind. The walls of his otherwise happy childhood had closed in so quickly he hadn't realized that he had fallen under the power of something darker, something profoundly poisonous. How long had he been harbouring these feelings? He didn't know. This bothered him; it was like something that was just out of the reach of his conscious mind. The source of the anger was easy to pin point, however the rate at which it had grown was alarming. Or at least it would have been alarming to anyone else, but to Loki it seemed rational and justified. Thor's popularity had always loomed over him. The favoritism was blatant and yet no one seemed to care. It was accepted and at times encouraged. The hot sting of resentment and jealousy burned again in his chest just like it had before Thor had come barging in a few days prior.

He looked down suddenly feeling the dirt give away under the toe of his boot and realized how close he had gotten to the edge. He took a step back, wondering momentarily if he had intentionally or unintentionally gotten that close during his train of thought. Then like a quiet hush over his tumultuous mind he felt a presence back in the palace, a gentle presence that was searching for him. He knew almost instantly that it was Frigga. He felt his mother entering his bedchambers and sent one of his duplicates to keep her occupied. He closed his eyes and opened them again, calming himself before he made the trip back, then in a flash he was gone from the rocky face.

"Hello, mother." He said quietly as he stood in the doorway to his bedchambers. Frigga turned in surprise, seeing a second version of her son standing behind her as the one she had just been conversing with faded away. She smiled and gathered her long garments to walk over to him.

"How are you, my darling?" She said holding a hand out to him before she drew it away. "If you are in fact my real son." She prodded him gently in the ribs making Loki smile slightly. She smiled back finally taking his hand in hers.

"You seem troubled, it's not like you to be this reclusive." Loki looked steadily at her before looking down momentarily, gathering some bravado.

"It's nothing mother, I haven't been feeling well lately." Frigga eyed him, pursing her lips slightly.

"You seem well enough to be wandering about Asgard."

""I thought some fresh air would do me good." Frigga's gaze softened. She patted Loki's shoulder and motioned for him to come with her. Loki got the sense that she knew better than to believe him, but was relieved when she didn't press the matter.

They walked slowly through the towering halls, acknowledging the occasional servant who passed. Walking with his mother always brought Loki some semblance of peace. They had done this since he was a child. He used to run ahead of her and hide behind a support column, only to jump out and do it all over again. Frigga would always feign surprise just to see the young god's eyes light up and to hear his laughter reverberate off the walls. These walks had brought her just as much peace. There were no fawning handmaidens, no interruptions… it was just her and her little boy. Loki had always held a sense of playfulness that Thor never quite possessed. He would make her laugh with his antics and small tricks he had come up with himself. While his fondness for trickery at a young age wore on the patience of some of the other gods, she always found it charming. He was truly one of a kind in the palace, for several different reasons…

They had been walking quietly for a short while before Frigga spoke up again.

"You know Loki, if anything is bothering you, you can come to me. I'll always offer an impartial ear." Loki looked over, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, but really, I'm fine." Frigga nodded. She knew not to ask any more. As sweet as Loki could be, he was also prone to volatile mood changes if he felt imposed upon or cornered, whether it was physically or mentally. Though he had never been aggressive towards her she didn't want to test her limits.

"I remember…" she said motioning out of a tall window, "when you made the flowers bloom in the garden in winter for my birthday." Loki glanced at her, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I was always disappointed because I could never have my favourite flowers on my birthday due to the cold. But you made the entire garden bloom for the night… It was splendid."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." His voice sounded sad despite his attempt to hide it. "I'm surprised you even remembered it after Thor's golden monstrosity from the dwarves." The sadness was gone suddenly and had been replaced by a cold flatness. Frigga was slightly taken aback by the abrupt change. She stopped walking and turned towards him.

"Loki…" She said in a strong yet gentle tone. "You have a gift, and extraordinary gift that no one here possesses. Your skills with magic are legendary. Your talents reach far beyond what anyone ever expected." Loki stood completely still looking down and off to the side. Frigga placed a hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his temple.

"Keep being extraordinary, Loki. Your skills will take you very far; the Norns have said it many times. What's important is what you do with them." When Loki didn't say anything, she placed a kiss on his cheek and took a step back. The silence in the hall was deafening. Loki glanced up, the anger had left his eyes and was once again replaced with sadness. He straightened his stance, locking eyes with Frigga.

"I should be going, mother." And with that he walked past her back in the direction they had come from. Frigga didn't turn to watch him; the faint clicking of his boots was enough to tell her that he was already out of her reach. She adjusted the long shawl around her shoulders and started to walk again, slowly. She had grown deeply concerned for him. A shadow had been cast over him, in body and in spirit. A restlessness had grown inside of her, and she had hoped that talking to him would rid her of the feeling. Instead it had only worsened. It was true, she had never doubted that Loki would one day do something extraordinary. She had visited the Norns many times to question them on this subject but their answer was always the same. Unlike Thor, they were never able to give a straight answer about Loki's future. All they ever said was that "his abilities will take him to new places. He will grow in power, he will master the arcane arts and thus become a great force in the nine realms." At first Frigga was relived by their answer, but slowly it came to bother her more and more. As great a fate as it was, it was also ambiguous, and it was this ambiguity that had kept her up at night. To her, Loki's destiny was split, and she could only hope that he would remain in the light.

Loki had returned to his bedchambers, yet the familiar environment did nothing to ease his mind. He idly watched the first snow of the year fall outside of his window. It seemed fitting, their trip to Niflheim would no doubt be cold as well. He considered cloaking himself and dropping in on different places in and around the palace to practice more, but he had been doing that for the past few days and had grown tired of it. He was confident that he could successfully cloak himself in short distances. But what of the places that lay beyond the bright gleam of the palace… He felt goose bumps crawl up his arms at the thought of it. It was tantalizing, dangerous and unknown. It was perfect. He walked briskly over to the table where he had left the book holding information about the Draugr. He quickly waved his hand over it and it flipped to the page introducing the horrible creatures. A pen and ink drawing of one devouring a man lay in front of him. The Draugr were neither man nor giant, but some gruesome combination of both. Loki read quickly, picking up on certain elements he thought important. Magical abilities, shape shifting, ability to turn day into night, ability to move through solid objects… Loki remained largely unfazed by everything he read until he came to two traits that troubled him. Not only were the Draugr largely unaffected by weapons; they had the ability to curse their opponents. This would require some heavy protection spells as well as some creative uses of destruction magic. He knew that Thor would never leave Mjolnir behind, but that didn't matter. He could simply use the crushing blows it would deal to catch the monsters off guard. As long as they didn't get hit or slashed by any Draugr weapons they would be alright, since Draugr weapons were infused with runes that could cause a number of nasty inflictions afterwards.

Loki turned a few more pages finally landing on another chilling picture of the Draugr. It was entitled _hel-blár _or blue death. The creature's skin was a chilling shade of blue-grey, and it was stretched in a grotesque manner over its sunken face. Loki stared into the picture's eyes before closing the book loudly.

"_I know the face of my enemy now…" _he thought evenly. "_But what if the book is incorrect, how terrible it would be to arrive to something completely different…" _A wide smile spread over his face as the same cold rush of excitement washed over him. In an instant he had made up his mind. He was going to cloak himself and travel to Niflheim tonight, just to test the waters, just to see how hard realm travel actually is.

He stepped into the middle of his room, holding himself completely still and shut his eyes. He concentrated all his energy feeling every part of his body start to become very cold. This was the same sensation he had gotten while practicing the past few days. He could see the entirety of Asgard stretch out before him but he pushed him mind further, traveling out past Heimdall and into the darkness. It was at this point that he became vaguely aware that ever object in his room was starting to vibrate. He focused his energy further hoping to not draw any attention to himself. He pushed himself further into the darkness and felt himself being pulled downwards as if there was a great weight around his midsection. His body felt extremely cold at this point, almost to the point of pain. He pushed further, searching for the misty realm. He could feel himself getting close though he still could see nothing. The weight had grown so immense that he was starting to become concerned. He forced his mind to focus harder, and just before he thought the journey was a failure he felt ground beneath his feet. He stood for a second breathing heavily before opening his eyes. Niflheim lay before him. He laughed breathlessly as he glanced around. He walked forward slowly, the ground was frostbitten and slick from the great clouds of mist that settled over the land. The numerous moons of Niflheim all cast a deathly pallor over the landscape making the shadows deeper.

Everything was quiet, so quiet that he could hear himself breathe. It was unnerving. He felt completely alone yet also had the unshakable feeling that a hundred eyes were watching him. He knew it wasn't Heimdall, the spell was working perfectly, but… what of the creatures here. He would have had to cast a completely different invisibility spell when he arrived to render himself completely invisible. His train of thought was cut short when he heard something move in the shadows, something heavy. Loki turned to face the direction of the noise, two emblazoned daggers materializing in his hands. They glowed an ominous shade of green. He figured if a Draugr were lurking, they would be the most susceptible to dematerializing spells.

Not ten seconds later a large ragged corpse-like figure lurched out from the shadows and stood on the opposite side of the clearing. Its jaw hung at a grotesque angle and its sightless milky eyes shifted in their sockets. A great stench filled the air as a weak breeze blew in Loki's direction. Loki stood fast, not taking his eyes off the large animated corpse. It wasn't until the thing lurched towards him that he realized that what little light the moons had been casting had gone away. Apparently it had cast one of its darkness spells before it had chosen to attack. Loki sprung into action launching one if his daggers at the Draugr. It stuck with a crunching noise in the dry flesh. He quickly materialized another when the Draugr didn't stop in its assault. But suddenly its legs gave out from under it as its body began to unwind. All the exposed tendons wrapped around its legs and arms, and what was left of its skin flayed itself open exposing chipped bones. The Draugr dug furiously at the ground in an attempt to bring itself closer to Loki until the bones themselves started to fracture and break down leaving a dusty pile of ash in the shape of a person. The dematerializing spell had worked. Loki was relieved but only for a moment. He turned to face a shallow hill and saw that twenty or thirty more Draugr had come to fight as well. The air had grown thick and the stench was overwhelming. The darkness almost seemed to be a presence now rather than a simple lack of light. The rotting hoard started to move forward, picking up speed as they went.

In that instant Loki was forced to make a split decision. He cursed himself for being too heady. He hadn't wanted to engage himself in an all out brawl with the creatures, yet his simple mistake of not casting another invisibility spell when he arrived had cost him that. He had allowed the exhilaration of successful realm travel to momentarily cloud his judgment and now he was paying for it. So he turned and ran to give him a chance to focus enough energy to make it back to Asgard unnoticed. He threw two of the daggers behind him, hitting a couple of the Draugr in the front of the group. He focused his mind again, searching out through the darkness for the shining palace. When he found it he firmly tied his mind to the image and felt the same weight pull him up and out of Niflheim.

The journey back seemed much faster and easier. When he opened his eyes he wasn't back in his bedchambers but was standing on the same rocky face he had been to earlier that day. Snow fell silently around him, sticking to his dark clothing. He breathed heavily into the frosty air, his body still tensed from the journey. Tomorrow would hold a battle; there was not doubt about that. If Thor wanted a fight, he would be walking straight into an all out Draugr uprising. A mischievous smile spread across his face.

_You wanted a fight, Thor. So a fight you shall have._


End file.
